Hey all,
If there were a Psalm that I wish I could have branded on the frontside of my brain to be the first thing I think about when I wake up, I think it would be this one. Psalm 8 is a GREAT way to wake up and commit your day to the Lord. If you will, let me convince you of this.
Themes by verse:
Verse 1: The name of the Lord is majestic and greater than any other name in history, PERIOD. In Philippians 2:9-11 says "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus ever knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Interesting point: The name of the Lord brings God glory, "you have set your glory above the heavens." No thing, and no one can take God's glory from him, it is out of our reach, yet so overwhelming that it drops us to our knees when we think of how it was displayed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in our place on account of OUR sin! God is glorified and his name is made great because of his grace.
Ok that was verse 1. This post could get VERY long if I'm not careful. I want to challenge you to read this Psalm and think through them in this way: theme it out verse or section by section. Even write in your margin if you want to remember your time with the Lord and what he was teaching you.
Verse 2 is interesting. What do babies and infants have to do with strength against foes? According to my ESV study bible, this could be a reference to the people of Israel being compared to the majesty of the Lord and how it doesn't matter the size or strength of the actual person/people, but more so what they are praising. I say praising here because it says that God has established strength out of the "mouths" of infants. I looked into this a little more and saw that the Septuagint uses a greek word for "strength" that means "strength attributed to God in song." In other words, the people of Israel are, out of their mouths, though small and infantile they are compared to God, proclaiming the strength of God. It's praise. And when your strength rests in the Lord, your enemies are nothing, and thus are "stilled." Interesting eh?!
How are you proclaiming the Lord as your strength today, this week? Do you trust the Lord with your concerns? Do you recognize yourself as infantile and minuscule compared to our amazingly great God? And do you know that your size or inferiority doesn't prohibit you from a relationship with him? God opened that door to us through Jesus Christ who paid the price of our sin on the cross. He is the reason we can, though inferior, proclaim HIS strength in our lives. Do you know Jesus?! That's paramount to this whole discussion.
Verse 3-8 is a great description and declaration of the coming (now come) Messiah Jesus. Read that and see how he is ruler over all things and the only one in scripture who is worthy of Glory and Honor. He is the only one who is given dominion over the works of God's hands. Jesus is ALL over this section.
The Psalm finishes just like it started, (we call this bookending, there's a bigger name for it, but I can't recall it off hand.) Verse 9: The name of the Lord is the greatest and most majestic name in all of history and even before time, period.
I guarantee you start your day off with this in mind, you will have a proper perspective to your day. If you're ambitious, commit this whole Psalm to memory and have it playing through your mind on repeat all day. You cannot be shaken when you are pursuing the Lord, and when you are "bumped" with the stress and trials of this life, you spill what you are full of. Make your life full of praise to God for the sending of his Son Jesus who saves you.
Have a blessed day!
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